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Brazil investigating possible corruption at Olympic venues

Brazilian investigators have expanded their probe into possible corruption around the staging of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
this August.

Their work is to include all the venues and services financed with federal funds, a lead prosecutor told Reuters.

Federal investigations have previously focused on “legacy” modernization projects not directly tied to the Games but this newly disclosed probe includes Olympic Park and the Deodoro area where Olympic venues are located, officials said.

Five construction firms are building most of the $10.8 billion worth of venues and infrastructure needed for Rio’s Olympics.

The figure includes at least $490 million in federal funds, according to documents from Brazil’s federal accounting court.

All five companies are caught up in an investigation into price fixing and kickbacks at state-run oil company Petrobras, a two-year probe that has seen scores of top executives and politicians jailed, charged or under investigation.

The Olympics were meant to showcase Brazil’s rise as a global power. Instead, they will take place as suspended President Dilma Rousseff faces an impeachment trial, the economy suffers its worst recession since the 1930s, and an outbreak of the Zika virus prompt health concerns.